Round Two: NCIS: Los Angeles

NCIS: Los Angeles: Season 1, Episode 2 “The Only Easy Day” (B)

The second hour of the new “NCIS” is certainly action-packed, and the sequence before the opening credits was full of adrenaline. That’s one of the positive things that separates this series from the original – it’s not just someone coming across a dead body, but instead a high-octane action sequence where not everyone ends up dead and you see some of either the good or the bad guys get away clean (or so they think). I also like how Sam’s SEAL past is incorporated into the show and his ability to work the cases based on his previous knowledge and experience, just like Gibbs and his gunnery past. My complaints from last week about the ensemble being too crowded apply just as much this week. Daniela Ruah really isn’t terrific and certainly doesn’t have the same kind of appeal as either Sasha Alexander or Cote de Pablo, and wouldn’t really be able to be a leading actress. That’s not what she’s asked to do here, but it detracts from the overall quality of the show by having strong leads and a less-than-stellar ensemble. Her actually keying scribble all over the car seems like it was a bit unneeded. The dorky operational psychologist and trying-too-hard-rookie essentially equal McGee split into two, and I’m not sure that’s a good thing. I am really liking Chris O’Donnell though, and while the “I guess you’re the bad cop” line was taken verbatim right out of every crime show I’ve ever seen, he and LL Cool J do make a terrific team that, along with Linda Hunt, continues to be the best part of the show.